Co-op nursery sponsors charity luncheon

February 20, 2002|By Mark Beardslee

Whatever one wishes to call it, the local nonprofit cooperative set up to help preschool children prepare for elementary school, as well as to assist families who have incurred heavy pediatric medical expenses, is holding its 32nd annual Charity Luncheon on Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Redwood Steakhouse.

Monies raised at the luncheon will go exclusively to the co-op's Charity Luncheon Fund for families with children with serious health problems, including any kind of illness or medical procedure or medical equipment that causes financial hardship. Fund donations are decided on a case-by-case basis when a request is made, according to Kievit. This past year, she says, the co-op received no requests for assistance, so all money raised will be added to the fund's current balance of $1,343. "We didn't get any names this past year," Kievit says, noting that this doesn't mean there are no seriously ill children out there. "We really rely on word-of-mouth."

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Kievit praises the Lewiston community in general for helping the co-op endure over the years. However, she does single out some organizations. For example, the Redwood Steakhouse annually supports the fundraiser. "They have allowed us to use their facilities every year for 30 years. If they hadn't donated time and the cost of the entree, we would never have raised any money. It really is a community-sanctioned event," Kievit says.

At the luncheon, Redwood's chef Bruce Bowman will be donating his time and skills to making "turkey a la king." There will also be a wide array of dishes provided by other restaurants, including the Iron Kettle and Timothy's Lewiston Lodge, as well as parents and other individual members of the community.

Kievit acknowledges the Congregational United Church of Christ, which allows the preschool to use its basement for its classes. Without that space, she says the preschool would not be able to operate because the co-op cannot afford rent. Despite the location of the preschool, Kievit stresses, "There are no religious affiliations whatsoever. The church feels good about what they do for us." She says this is consistent with the spirit of a community cooperative, adding, "It's a parent-run operation. It's a commitment to be involved in a co-op. I say hats off to the parents."

Co-op board member Michelle Nickert stresses that money raised from the co-op's other annual event, the pastie fundraiser in September, goes to pay for the preschool's normal operating expenses, but that Monday's fundraiser is for families with children with health problems. "If there's anyone out there who has a sick child, write a letter to the nursery school board and they'll help if they can," encourages Nickert. The address of the Lewiston Community Co-Op Nursery is PO Box 492, Lewiston, MI 49756.

"We do spread the word through our membership that if you know of anyone who needs help, please have them come to us," adds Kievit.

Nickert's family benefited from the co-op's Charity Luncheon Fund and this led to her involvement with the group. "It's a fantastic program," she says. "My daughter, Viktoria, who is 6, is a retinoblastoma patient, which is basically eye cancer, a rare one, which does require special care and because of that we had quite a lot of medical debt," Nickert explains. "So I contacted the nursery and they took the bill and sent (medical service providers) $400. There were four children that year and they had raised $1,600 so it was split four ways."

One problem facing the co-op now is that its longtime teacher, Angela Thoms, will be moving on at the end of the year. Nickert says, "She's been with us for 13 years and now that she's leaving us we don't know what we're going to do. She's just fantastic."

Kievit echoes this sentiment. "We hope we'll find a good individual who will become like Angie over time. She's just phenomenal." Worried about finding a successor for Thoms, Kievit adds, "It's not a high-paying position. It has to come out of a love of teaching preschool."

And Thoms does. "I love children," she says. "The main thing that keeps me going is realizing that these children are really my teachers. There's a learning opportunity for me as well as for the children. It's an opportunity for personal growth; I believe any job that doesn't provide that opportunity would be very difficult to do."

Thoms says she is moving on partly because "there's a few other things I'd like to do with my life." She stresses that children helped by the Charity Luncheon fundraiser do not have to be students at the preschool. In fact, she can only recall one such child, a student in 2000 who had cancer and spent a major part of the year going through chemotherapy. He's now in elementary school doing fine.

"It is the parents who make it possible that for a rather modest tuition fee they get a lot out of it. They have themselves to thank for its success."

Thoms also commends the support of many local businesses and acknowledges Garland in particular. "We've received a Garland Charity grant over the past few years and that's been extremely helpful." Ultimately, however, she says she believes that the "major importance at any level of education is parent involvement" and that "the perfect place to start is preschool."

Tuition for the program is $35 per month for two days a week for 3- or 4-year-olds, and an optional third day for 4-year-olds costs $10 extra per month. Interested parents with questions may contact Kievit through the Lewiston School, 786-2253.